Modelling postcolonial transferred bilingualism: Russian in multilingual post-Soviet diasporas

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: Our paper investigates postcolonial Russian-based transferred bilingualism in post-Soviet diasporas, focusing on how Russian persists and adapts as a communicative tool despite its declining symbolic value as the language of Soviet state power. It discusses how historical, sociopolitical and sociolinguistic factors shape the transgenerational transmission of Russian-based bilingualism, often affecting the maintenance of other languages of the former USSR in migratory contexts. Design/Methodology/Approach: Our study develops a theoretical model based on the symbolic and pragmatic value of language(s), integrating insights from historical, sociopolitical and sociolinguistic research on Russian and minority languages of the (former) USSR in the historical imperial context and beyond. Data and Analysis: Analysis draws on existing literature, historical accounts and previous sociolinguistic studies, examining the evolution of Russian in imperial, (post-)Soviet and diasporic contexts through the lens of symbolic and pragmatic value. Patterns of the transgenerational transmission of Russian-based bilingualism and other languages of the former USSR are identified and compared across different diasporic communities. Findings/Conclusions: Three key parameters – historical-linguistic, sociopolitical and sociolinguistic ecology – explain the continued pragmatic use of Russian despite significant changes in its symbolic value. Four patterns of transgenerational transmission of Russian-based bilingualism in combination with different languages of the former USSR emerge: shift to monolingualism, reshaped bilingualism, bilingualism with original L1 and trilingualism. Russian functions as a durable communicative code in multilingual post-Soviet diasporas, illustrating the interplay between colonial, imperial and minority languages. Originality: The paper identifies transferred Russian-based bilingualism in diasporic settings as a prolonged postcolonial impact, demonstrating the interplay of its pragmatic and symbolic values in interaction with the diverse languages of the former USSR. It further nuances the specific historical and geopolitical dynamics of Russian linguistic imperialism within the Russian versus Soviet Empire and beyond. Significance/Implications: Findings contribute to theories of linguistic imperialism and nationalism, offering a framework for understanding transgenerational language transmission in multilingual diasporas and informing comparative studies of postcolonial and postimperial language dynamics.